Looking for support group for parents of children with BPD traits (diagnosis)

[A Mother’s Love]

I am looking for a support group (preferable free/insurance covered). My daughter has BPD characteristics and suicde attempts (severe) and mood dysregulation. I just need support and to know I’m not the only one out there: I feel very alone and everyday is a rollercoaster.

I live in the Friendswood, Clear Lake, TX area. Does anyone know of any? I just don’t know how long I can keep doing this balancing act with my beautiful daughter and a stressful job. I just need hope.

Our objective is to better understand the struggles our child faces and to learn the skills to improve our relationship and provide a supportive environment and also improve on our own emotional responses, attitudes and effectiveness as a family leaders

[kells76]

Hi A Mother's Love, welcome to the boards 

It's wise of you to look for more support for yourself right now. When there's a pwBPD in our lives, we can't carry it all on our own, it's just too much.

As you search for an in-person/non-anonymous group, please know you're welcome to keep posting here, too! While our format is different from traditional support groups, the anonymity and 24/7 availability can be benefits.

I signed up for the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEABPD)'s Family Connections class for BPD much earlier this year, and after being on the waitlist for ~6 months, got into a class. Classes are free and consist of trained peer leaders and ~10-12 class members. It is very structured -- a brief check-in related to a skill learned the previous week, then lots of education and skills training, then sometimes time at the end to share again. It's over Zoom so it's not exactly full in person, but you can see everyone's faces, it's not anonymous, and you can hear and participate in discussion. It's been very helpful so far, and I appreciate that the NEABPD prioritizes keeping class material as up-to-date clinically as possible (no urban legends, no rumors, no pop psychology).

They also offer a Family Connections class on Managing Suicidality & Trauma Recovery, for parents of children who have made suicide threats/attempts. It is possible that there is less of a wait time for that class, and it sounds like it might fit your situation. Again, it's free.

Many members here also participate in NAMI support groups. I haven't participated, so I don't know if it's over Zoom or actually in person, but those could be worth looking at, too. NAMI groups should be free.

...

Going back to your post for a minute, how old is your daughter? Does she live at home with you? And how are your relationships with your other family and friends members (spouse/partner? other children? siblings? neighbors?) Family and friend support for you is so critical, too -- it's hard to help others when we're depleted and feel alone 

Looking forward to hearing more of your story;

kells76